KARACHI: The Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) has asked all cable TV operators to remove cable boosters from electric poles of K-Electric.

Sources in the power utility told Dawn that a letter had been sent to Pemra informing it that the KE had received several complaints regarding current in electric poles “due to cables of media distributors and cable internet service providers fixed on and passing through the power distribution network”.

They said that the regulatory authority had been informed that cable operators installed cable booster on electric poles along with the electric supply on them.

The sources said that “the current passed on the electric poles due to non-standardised cables, providing a conducting path for the current to flow and eventually creating a life-threatening situation for the public and K-Electric’s staff who worked on these poles”.

They said that Pemra had been informed that the power utility had announced a crackdown on “misuse of K-Electric’s electricity infrastructure which was being encroached, tampered with and damaged by TV/internet cables, illegal streetlight points and their switches”.

The officials said that Pemra had asked TV and internet cable operators to comply with the power utility’s decision for removal of cables and boosters from the electric poles to avoid any severe action by the power utility.

Published in Dawn, September 2nd, 2019